Nondirectional loop tuft carpet-making machine

ABSTRACT

A pass-type carpet-making machine for making loop tuft carpeting having a nondirectional or random appearance. A plurality of reciprocating needles are preferably hollow throughout their length and each inserts two or more yarn strands into a base fabric. A pair of loopers cooperate with each needle to form at least two loops of yarn taken from the opposite sides of each needle on each reciprocal stroke of said needles.

United States Patent Ownbey [54] NONDIRECTIONAL LOOP TUFT CARPET-MAKINGMACHINE [72] Inventor:

Sylvan B. Ownbey, 1200 Francisco, Torrance, Calif. 90502 [22] Filed:Aug. 26, 1970 I21] Appl.N0.: 67,101

[521 U.S.Cl. ..l12/79 R, 112/224 [51] lnt.Cl ..D05c 15/22 [58] Field 01Search ..1 12/79 R, 79 A, 80, 266, 410,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,990,792 7/1961 Nowicki eta1 ..112/79 A 1 Feb. 15, 1972 3,091,199 5/1963 Ballard ..1 12/79 R3,338,198 8/1967 Short et al. ...1 12/79 R X 3,356,048 12/1967 Haas ..112/79 R Primary Examiner.lames R. Boler Attorney-Robert C. Comstock [571 ABSTRACT A pass-type carpet-making machine for making loop tuftcarpeting having a nondirectional or random appearance. A plurality ofreciprocating needles are preferably hollow throughout their length andeach inserts two or more yarn strands into a base fabric. A pair ofloopers cooperate with each needle to form at least two loops of yarntaken from the opposite sides of each needle on each reciprocal strokeof said needles.

10 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field ofthe Invention This invention relates generally to carpet-making machinesand relates more particularly to machines of the loop tufting type.

2. Description of the Prior Art At the present time, loop carpeting canbe produced only by an automatic machine in which the head and needletravel across the material. In practical use, such a machine uses amaximum of two needles. An automatic machine is accordingly slow andexpensive to operate.

A conventional pass type of machine in which the material is moved withrespect to the needle will not produce nondirectional carpeting becausethe loops are all taken from the same side of the needle by a singlelooper. They are accordingly aligned in definite noticeable rows,providing a corn row effect in appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a loop tuftingmachine of the pass type having a plurality of reciprocally operatingneedles which are preferably arranged in offset rows, each row having aplurality of preferably hollow needles, each needle having two or morestrands of material extending down through an opening disposedsubstantially along the longitudinal axis of the needle. The needles ofone row are staggered relative to the needles of the other row. A pairof loopers are used with each needle, one looper contacting at least onestrand of material on each side of the needle on each downward stroke ofthe needle and holding it to form a loop when the needles are movedupwardly. Thus, two loops are formed from each needle and its loopers toprovide two loops adjacent each other and taken from the opposite sidesof the needle, thereby producing a random, nondirectional effect. Thenumber of needles in a row is limited only by the size of the machine,that is, the length of the needle clamp, yarn guide and yarn feed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pass type ofcarpet making machine having a plurality of needles, each having a pairof loopers engaging opposite sides of the needle to provide double loopcarpeting in which the directional corn row" effect is eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter which will manufacture such carpeting far more economicallythan existing devices and wherein it is possible to use as many needlesas the manufacturer may desire.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter wherein the needles are hollow so that two or more strands ofmaterial extend down through an opening disposed substantially along thelongitudinal axis of the needle.

Still another object of the invention is to provide needles of thischaracter having means for separating the strands at the operating endthereof so that they may be separately engaged by the loopers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which willmake nondirectional carpeting which is tufted lengthwise, so that thebacking can be coated with latex by running the finished carpetingthrough a latex oven.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are furthersufficiently referred to in connection with the following detaileddescription of the accompanying drawings which represent one embodiment.After considering this example, skilled persons will understand thatmany variations may be made without departing from the principlesdisclosed and I contemplate the employment of any structures,arrangements or modes of operation that are properly within the scope ofthe appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of thetop part of a pass type of carpet-making machine embodying the presentinven tion;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 andincluding a showing of the end loopers and the mechanism for mountingsame in their uppermost position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of needle clamp, needles, loopers andlooper-mounting means in their lowermost position, with the yarn notshown for clarity of illustration;

FIG. Sis an enlarged view taken on line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 4, but showing theyarn;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the needles, with yarnstrands therein and also showing the loopers therefor in operativeengagement with the needle and yarn strands;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of one of the hollowneedles;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 1 l is a sectional view taken on line llll of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary top plan view of the needle bar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly tothe drawings, there is shown a pass type of carpet-making machine withthe present invention embodied therein. The pass type of machine is wellknown and includes a horizontal base 20, supported on legs 21, and asubstantially L-shaped head, indicated generally at 22. The short arm 24of the head is vertically disposed with the lower end secured to thebase in a well-known manner. The horizontal arm 26 of the head extendsfrom the upper end of the vertical part or arm 24 in upwardly spacedrelation to the base.

The horizontal arm 26 is hollow with a rotatable shaft 28 operablydisposed therein, there being a bearing 30 at the end of the horizontalarm from which the vertical arm 24 depends. Shaft 28 extends outwardlyof the bearing 30 and has a pulley 32 secured thereon, a belt 34 on saidpulley 32 being connected to a suitable source of power such as anelectric motor, not shown.

A yarn feed mechanism, indicated generally at 38 is operably mountedadjacent the free end of the horizontal arm 26 of the head. This yarnfeed mechanism is of well-known character and includes rollers 40 and 42operably mounted between laterally spaced vertical frame members 44spaced apart relative to each other. There are also frame parts 48 whichextend from the upper ends of the frame members 44 forwardly anddownwardly and are secured at their forward ends to the upper ends ofvertical frame members 50. The lower ends of said frame members 50 areconnected or secured to the forward ends of the horizontal frame members52, the opposite ends of said frame members 52 being secured to thelower ends of the vertical frame members 44. The frame is secured to thehorizontal arm 26 of the head by screws, not shown, or by any othersuitable well-known means.

There is means for effecting a constant, positive feed, said meansincluding rollers 40 and 42 which are vertically spaced apart and haveaxial shafts 54 and 56 respectively. Shaft 56 has a pulley 58 at one endand is driven by a belt 60 which is operably mounted on a pulley, notshown, secured on shaft 28 within the arm 26 of the head, said beltextending through a suitable opening provided therefor in said arm 26.

The opposite end of shaft 56 of roller 42 has a sprocket 64 securedthereon and is connected by a chain 66 with a sprocket 68 secured on theadjacent end of shaft 54. Thus rollers 40 and 42 are rotated.

A yarn jerker has its ends secured to the frame at the junction of theframe members 48 and 50, said yarn jerker having nun-n "a m openings forthe yarn strands or threads, indicated at 72. These openings are spacedapart longitudinally of the yarn jerker. The yarn strands are disposedon spools, not shown, mounted in the usual well known manner, and aredisposed in respective grooves of the rollers 40 and 42. As shown theyarn strands pass over roller 40 and under roller 42 and then aredisposed in the openings provided therefor in the yarn jerker.

At the front of the arm 26 of the head there is an upper yarn guide 76and a lower yarn guide 78, both of which are secured to the arm 26 andare vertically spaced apart. From the lower yarn guide 78, the strandsof yarn are fed to the needles, indicated generally at 80, and describedmore fully hereinafter.

The needles 80 are carried by a needle clamp 86 which comprises a barhaving two rows of vertical bores 88 and 90 therein, the bores of eachrow being spaced apart longitudinally of the needle clamp 86. The row ofbores 88 is termed herein the front row while the row of bores 90 istermed the rear row and the bores of row 90 are staggered relative tothe bores of row 88.

Needle clamp 86 is secured to a support 92, which is attached to thelower end of actuator rods 94 extending downwardly of the arm 26 of thehead 22. Rods 94 are spaced apart and the upper parts of said rods areoperably mounted within the arm 26 and are reciprocated longitudinallyin the well-known manner by the shaft 28 so that the needle clamp 86 ismoved downwardly and upwardly with reciprocal movements of the rods 94.

The needles 80 are all the same, so a description of one will suffice.Each of the needles 80 has a tubular shank 100 at one end, anintermediate blade, indicated generally at 102, and a point, indicatedgenerally at 104. Each shank 100 has a longitudinally extending bore103. The shanks 100 are removably received in the bores 88 and 90 of theneedle clamp 86, and the diameter of the bores 88 and 90 are of asuitable diameter for slidable but snug reception of the shanks of theneedles. Means for securing the needles in the bores 88 and 90 comprisesetscrews 105 threadably disposed in tapped bores extending norm ally tothe axis of the bores 88 and 90,

The intermediate blade 102 and point 104 of the needles 80 have alongitudinally extending bore 106 which is a continuation of the bore103. The blade of each needle 80 is channel or U-shaped in crosssection, as best shown in FIGS. 3, 7 and 10. The bore 106 is defined bya pair of parallel sidewalls which are connected along their forward orfront edges by a front wall 1 10. The front wall 1 is V-shaped in crosssection, with its apex at the front of the needle 80, as best shown inFIGS. 7 and 10. The bore 106 extends to the tip of the point 104, andthere is an opening or eye 114 in the front of the blade, just above thepoint 104. That portion of the front wall 1 10 below the eye 114 isenlarged to form a rounded projection or knob 116, which extendsforwardly of the plane of the front wall 110. Just above the eye 114,the front wall 1 10 has a downwardly and inwardly inclined portion 118.

it will be noted that the bores 106 and 103 provide a continuous openingextending along the longitudinal axis of the needle. This opening isused to provide center feed or two or more strands through the hollowneedles, eliminating drag. When the strands reach the eye 114, they moveout from the bore 106 through the eye 1 14.

The front wall 1 10 of the needle 80 has a pair of oppositely facingsides 110a and 110b, which are disposed at substantially right angles toeach other. When the needle 80 is in its downward stroke, the yarnstrands extend out through the eye 114 and upwardly along the sides 110aand 1l0b of the front wall 110. If there are two strands, one strandwill move along each of the faces 110a and 11%. If there are threestrands, one strand will move along one face and two strands will movealong the other face, with the odd strand changing its position atrandom. If there are four strands, two will move along each of thefaces, et cetera.

The base is hollow and has a top wall 120 which has an opening 122therein below the needle assembly or gang of needles. A spacer plate 124is secured to the top of the base and has an opening 126 therein whichis aligned with the opening 122 in the top wall of the base. On top ofthe spacer plate there is a throat plate 128 secured in any well-knownmanner, such as by screws or the like, not shown.

Throat plate 128 has an opening 130 therein which is smaller than theopenings 122 and 126 but which is in register therewith. Along the frontof the opening 130 of the throat plate 128 there are notches 132 spacedapart longitudinally of the plate and separated by lugs 134. Fingers 136are secured to the throat plate 128 and project across the opening 130of said throat plate terminating just short of the side 138 of theopening opposite the side having the notches 132.

Fingers 136 are parallel relative to each other. The front row ofneedles are adapted to move into and out of the notches 132. The fingers136 are spaced laterally apart providing spaces 140 into which the rearrow of needles are adapted to operatively enter and move out of. Thesespaces 140 are arranged alternatively with the spaces 142 which are inregister or alignment with the notches 132.

There are a plurality of loopers operably disposed beneath the throatplate, there being two sets of loopers, the loopers of one of said setsbeing indicated generally by the reference numeral 146 and the loopersof the other set being indicated generally by the reference numeral 148.

The loopers 148 each have a shank 150 with a rearwardly and slightlyupwardly inclined yarn-engaging finger 152 having a straight underside.The loopers 146 also have shanks, indicated at 154, with a rearwardlyoffset upper end portion 156 from the upper end of which a finger 158extends rearwardly and slightly upwardly, the fingers 158 beingsubstantially the same as the fingers 152.

There is means for operably mounting the loopers, said means comprisinga bottom oscillating shaft 160 beneath the base and mounted in the usualwell-known manner in bearings, not shown, shaft 160 being oscillated bythe usual well-known mechanism including a timing cam, said mechanismalso not being shown.

To shaft 160 is secured a looper bar, indicated generally at 162, saidbar comprising an upper member 164 and a lower member 166. There is ashaft opening 168 in the looper bar which extends longitudinallythereof, approximately half of the opening 168 being in the upper member164 and approximately half in the lower member 166. Screws 170 securethe upper and lower members of the looper bar together and secure saidbar on the lower oscillating shaft 160 so that the looper bar willoscillate with oscillation of the shaft 160. The shanks of the loopersare disposed in recesses provided therefor in the upper member 164 andare secured in said recesses by setscrews 172. This arrangement is wellknown.

There are two loopers for each needle and the looper fingers 158 ofloopers 154 are adapted to operably engage the strands of yarn along theforwardly inclined converging sides 110a and b of the front wall 110 ofthe rear row needles and the looper fingers 152 of the loopers 148 areadapted to operably engage the strands of yarn along the forwardlyinclined converging sides 110a and b of the front wall 110 of the frontrow needles.

Each of the needles 80 is adapted to use a plurality of strands of yarn.While two such strands for each needle are shown, it is to be understoodthat more than two can be used, the number being limited only by theinternal size of the needies.

The strands of yarn from the lower guide 78 are threaded through thebore 103 in the shank 100 of each needle and thence downwardly in thebore 106 and through the eye 1 14. The strands then extend forwardlythrough the eyes 114 of the respective needles and are woven into thejute or base fabric,

not shown, the machine having a jute stripper of the usual well-knowncharacter. The strands or threads may be of different colors if desiredand should more than two strands be desired they may be of differentcolors according to the color effect desired in the finished carpet.

The needle clamp is reciprocated downwardly and upwardly by well-knownmechanism within the arm 26. With downward movement of the needle clamp,the needles with their yarn threads are moved downwardly and through thebase fabric or jute which is positively fed by the usual wellknownmechanism which includes drive rollers and idler rollers. The front rowof needles then moves into the notches 132 of the throat plate while therear row of needles moves into the spaces 140 between the fingers 136rearwardly of the lugs 134. When the needles have moved downwardly apredetermined distance, the bottom oscillating shaft is rockedcounterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4, causing the looper bar to moveaccordingly and move the looper fingers 152 and 158 into engagement withthe yarn strands along the forwardly converging sides or faces 110a andb of the front walls 110 of the respective needles 80. After the looperfingers have moved into this position, the needle clamp is movedupwardly, whereupon loops are formed below the base fabric or jute andthe loopers are oscillated clockwise to disengage the fingers 152 and158 thereof out of engagement with the loops of yarn.

- With each cycle of operation of the needles, a cycle being consideredthe movement of the needles from their upper position to their lowerposition and back to the upper position, the loopers are moved intoengagement with the yarn threads thereof to form the loops as abovedescribed, and then back to their inoperative position out of engagementwith the needles and the yarn loops.

By having the needles hollow from the upper end to at least the eyes,the strands are held steadier and there is better control of the strandsthan with needles which are not hollow throughout their length. Becauseof this, the strands can also be more easily separated.

The oppositely directed faces of the front wall 110 of the needle 80hold the strands apart and make it easier for the loopers 146 and 148 toengage the yarn strands. The fingers 152 and 158 of the loopers 146 haveend portions which are formed complementarily to the sides 110a and 11%as shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings, so that they are adapted to contactlightly and sweep across the opposite sides 110a and b of the front wall110 to pick off the yarn strands and form the loops.

The nondirectional or random appearance of the carpeting is effected asa result of two loopers picking up yarn from the opposite sides of eachof the needles, so that at least two separate loops are provided by eachneedle, with the loops crowding each other and extending in randomdirections.

The rows of needles may, if desired, be much longer than shown, and ofcourse the longer the rows with their greater number of needles, themore carpeting can be made in a given time.

It has been found that with the present invention as much as 300 yardsoflooper carpeting can be made in 8 hours whereas with prior looptufting machines only about 35 yards of carpeting can be made in 8hours. Further, only one operator is required for each machine.

The invention and its attendant advantages will be understood from theforegoing description and it will be apparent that various changes maybe made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts of theinvention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof orsacrificing its material advantages, the arrangement hereinbeforedescribed being merely by way of example, and I do not wish to berestricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned except asdefined in the accompanying claims.

lclaim:

1. A loop tuft carpet-making machine including a plurality ofreciprocating needles for inserting yarn into a base fabric, means formoving said base fabric with respect to said needles, at least two ofsaid yarn strands being inserted into said base fabric by each of saidneedles on each reciprocal stroke, each ofsaid needles having means forseparatin said yarn strands, said separating means comprising a pair 0differently facing sides of said needle along which said yarn strandsare adapted to travel, and a pair of loopers for releasably holding theyarn strands inserted into said base fabric by each of said needles, oneof said loopers engaging the yarn strands disposed along one side ofsaid needle and the other of said loopers engaging the yarn strandsdisposed along the other side of said needle, so that a plurality ofadjacent loops are formed on each reciprocal stroke of each of saidneedles to produce a random, nondirectional effect.

2. The structure described in claim 1, wherein said needles are arrangedin at least one row and supported by needle support means.

3. The structure described in claim 2, wherein there is a second row ofsaid needles carried by said needle support means, the needles of eachrow being spaced apart longitudinally, the needles of one row beingstaggered relative to the needles of the other row and being inalignment with the spaced between the needles of said other row.

4. The structure described in claim 1, said separating means beingdisposed at the front of said needles, each of said needles having afront wall which is V-shaped in cross section, with its opposite sidesextending at substantially a right angle with respect to each other,each of said needles having an eye disposed adjacent to and beneath saidfront wall.

5. The structure described in claim 4, each of said needles having ahollow strand-receiving bore extending from the upper portion thereof tosaid eye, said yarn strands being adapted to travel longitudinallythrough said bore and out through said eye.

6. The structure described in claim 5, each of said needles having anopen top, the eye of said needles being disposed adjacent to the bottomthereof, and a hollow strand-receiving bore extending throughsubstantially the entire length of said needles from the open topthereof to said eye.

7. The structure described in claim 6, each of said needles having arounded projection at the lower end thereof beneath said eye.

8. The structure described in claim 7, each pair of said loopers havingend portions formed complementarily to said sides of said needle,whereby said end portions of said loopers are adapted to sweep acrossthe sides of said needle to pick off said yarn strands.

9. The structure described in claim 8, said front wall of each of saidneedles having a downwardly and inwardly inclined portion disposeddirectly above said eye.

10. The structure described in claim 7, said needles being arranged intwo rows, the needles of one row being staggered relative to the needlesof the other row.

1. A loop tuft carpet-making machine including a plurality of reciprocating needles for inserting yarn into a base fabric, means for moving said base fabric with respect to said needles, at least two of said yarn strands being inserted into said base fabric by each of said needles on each reciprocal stroke, each of said needles having means for separating said yarn strands, said separating means comprising a pair of differently facing sides of said needle along which said yarn strands are adapted to travel, and a pair of loopers for releasably holding the yarn strands inserted into said base fabric by each of said needles, one of said loopers engaging the yarn strands disposed along one side of said needle and the other of said loopers engaging the yarn strands disposed along the other side of said needle, so that a plurality of adjacent loops are formed on each reciprocal stroke of each of said needles to produce a random, nondirectional effect.
 2. The structure described in claim 1, wherein said needles are arranged in at least one row and supported by needle support means.
 3. The structure described in claim 2, wherein there is a second row of said needles carried by said needle support means, the needles of each row being spaced apart longitudinally, the needles of one row being staggered relative to the needles of the other row and being in alignment with the spaced between the needles of said other row.
 4. The structure described in claim 1, said separating means being disposed at the front of said needles, each of said needles having a front wall which is V-shaped in cross section, with its opposite sides extending at substantially a right angle with respect to each other, each of said needles having an eye disposed adjacent to and beneath said front wall.
 5. The structure described in claim 4, each of said needles having a hollow strand-receiving bore extending from the upper portion thereof to said eye, said yarn strands being adapted to travel longitudinally through said bore and out through said eye.
 6. The structure described in claim 5, each of said needles having an open top, the eye of said needles being disposed adjacent to the bottom thereof, and a hollow strand-receiving bore extending through substantially the entire length of said needles from the open top thereof to said eye.
 7. The structure described in claim 6, each of said needles having a rounded projection at the lower end thereof beneath said eye.
 8. The structure described in claim 7, each pair of said loopers having end portions formed complementarily to said sides of said needle, whereby said end portions of said loopers are adapted to sweep across the sides of said needle to pick off said yarn strands.
 9. The structure described in claim 8, said front wall of each of said needles having a downwardly and inwardly inclined portion disposed directly above said eye.
 10. The structure described in claim 7, said needles being arranged in two rows, the needles of one row being staggered relative to the needles of the other row. 